


Hunters

by DarkMeB



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-03-26
Updated: 2012-03-26
Packaged: 2017-11-02 13:44:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/369628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkMeB/pseuds/DarkMeB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A mysterious portal opens to a parallel universe and Michael Lenox finds himself drawn into a new war.  Fighting against forces he doesn't understand, he is joined by old friends from his past; a past he wanted to leave far behind.  Together, they begin to fight in the new war as they hunt down the evils that come through mirrors.  Fearful things.  Evil things.  The hunt is on!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hunters

It was hard to live a normal life having seen the things he had seen and having done the things he had done. Doing his part for God and country had placed a heavy toll on him. No matter what he did, he would never be able to change the past. He would live the rest of his life with memories he couldn't erase. There was no way around that. He made a promise to himself that he would face his memories head on and move forward.

It was all he could do.

What he refused to do was any more missions for his government. Those days were behind him. He would no longer place his life on the line for a people whom had betrayed him. Their betrayal had come with a price too high to pay...and yet someone had paid for it dearly. With her life.

Just the thought of her made him tighten his grip on the steering wheel as he drove along the back roads of Warren County. The windshield wipers moved along the windshield but the rain was falling so hard, it barely made a difference. Michael Lenox let out a sigh of frustration, but it wasn't the weather that had him frustrated.

He knew the area well so he had no trouble finding his way out to the lake. He was born in Upstate New York and knew it like the back of his hand. There was a two story house overlooking Warren Lake that he and his friends had visited when they were kids. It had always been abandoned, but no one knew why.

He remembered when he was eight years old, he saw something he couldn't explain. He discovered a mirror that was embedded into the rock wall in the basement in the house overlooking Lake Warren. The strange thing about the mirror was that his reflection hadn't been in it.

It could have been a child's imagination getting the best of him, but he was older and wiser now. If there was anything to be discovered, he would find out about it one way or the other. He was determined to know the truth. After all, he was now the owner of the house on the hill overlooking the lake. He had the rest of his life to look forward to in making it his home and discovering its secrets.

The incident with the mirror in the house, however, as a child, was not the only time something like that had occurred. Throughout his entire life, he had seen things in mirrors that he could never explain. He had also heard things. Terrible things. At times, even people around him had not seemed to be what they were. Sometimes he had seen different faces on certain people, like they were going through some kind of transformation. Something strange was happening in the world he lived in and somehow, he believed that it all originated in his house that overlooked Warren Lake.

He pulled onto the driveway and followed it up a steep hill. The driveway led to a two-door garage, and he parked in front of it. He climbed out of the car, hurried to the first garage door and raised it open. Then, he got back into his car and out of the rain. He drove the car into the garage and parked it.

Getting out of his car once more, he stood still and looked outside. The rain showed no signs of letting up, and as he watched it, he began to think about having a cup of coffee. That also made him wonder if the contractors were done with repairing the place. It all should have been completed before his arrival.

There was only one way to find out.

He turned and headed for the door leading into the house. He flicked the light switch beside the doorway and the garage lights came on. He saw not only his car but there was also a half a cord of wood along the back wall. He closed the garage door and used his key to let himself into his new home.

He stood in the doorway and just listened. There was nothing like listening to an empty house that belonged to him. It not only sounded empty, but it also felt empty. It was the most comfortable feeling he had ever experienced.

He reached in and found the light switch. When the lights came on, he recognized the empty living room. The fireplace was on the rear wall and in the hearth was a pile of neatly stacked wood. To the front of the room was a large window where he could look out and see his driveway. To the right, there was a foyer, a hallway and stairs leading up to another floor. He knew he could get to the kitchen from that hallway and two other rooms. The kitchen could also be reached toward the back of the living room on the other side of the fireplace.

He looked into the kitchen from the open garage door and noticed there were shapes on the table. Curious, he closed the door and walked into the kitchen. He turned on the light and was pleasantly surprised to discover a welcome home gift. There was a box of Lorna Doon cookies on the table with a note from his Realtor.

_Welcome home, Michael. I hope you enjoy it. I thought you might want a fresh cup of coffee, so the coffee maker is all set to go. Make yourself a fire and enjoy a cup on me among other things._

He couldn't help but grin at the "among other things" comment. When his dark haired beauty of a Realtor had showed him the house, something seemed to click between them. The house wasn't the only thing she showed him. He looked toward the floor in front of the fireplace and remembered well what had occurred there. That Realtor was a wild one.

Lenox continued to read the note. The rest of it was mostly a list of repairs that had been taken care of and that it had been cleaned inside and out. All it needed now was to be furnished and lived in. If he had any need of anything at all, she was only a phone call away. He caught the implications of that invitation and smiled.

He saw the coffee pot and was very grateful to find a coffee mug next to it. He turned on the coffee maker and opened the refrigerator. He found half 'n' half. Now that all was right with the world, he decided it was time to build that fire.

_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

It didn't take him long to settle in for the evening. He had a nice fire going and while it began to produce heat, he got what he needed from out of his car. Then, he poured himself some coffee and carried the mug with him as he toured the first and second floor. There was a half bathroom on the first floor and two bathrooms upstairs. One was off from the hallway next to two empty rooms and one was in the master bedroom. He and the hot Realtor had tried the shower together in the bathroom from the master bedroom. This house already had good memories. He wondered if he should give her a call to make more good memories.

He went back downstairs, took the Lorna Doons into the living room and sat on the sleeping bag he had brought in from the car. He had a mystery novel to read about a private investigator from Boston. The author was Robert Parker. He hadn't taken the time to read a novel since he was a teenager. Now that he had the time, he followed through on a recommendation. He discovered that he really liked Robert Parker's style of writing. He read through most of the novel before he finally went to sleep. As he slept, he had a dream...

He was standing in the basement of the abandoned house. He was directly in front of the mirror embedded into the rock wall...but there was no reflection. He could not see himself. What he did see was disturbing. There were creatures inside the mirror. They were tall, thin and black...as if they had been burnt in a fire. Their eye socketts were empty. Their nostrils were thin slits on their nightmarish faces. Their mouths stretched open as if they were screaming...but there was no sound. There were hideously deformed holes where their ears should have been. They were naked and hairless but they were not man, nor were they woman. Fear radiated from them in waves. It wasn't that the creatures were afraid but that they omitted the fear from themselves - they pushed it out - and used it to paralyze anyone they came in contact with. Their prey.

He stood there, terrified and unable to move. Unable to scream. Eight-year old Lenox' eyes were wide open and he was unable to blink. If he wasn't so mind-numbing scared, he would have prayed to God to not allow the monsters to pass through the mirror from the other side. Yet they started to come through, moving slowly as if they were zombies. He knew that they weren't zombies because they were neither living or dead, but somewhere inbetween. He didn't know how he knew that...only that he did.

They came out of the mirror. First, two stepped out, then three more...and more after them. More came out until the entire basement was full of them...And yet still more came.

Finally, somehow, Lenox managed to scream.

The creatures disappeared.

And Lenox was now suddenly an adult.

He stood there with his gun in his hand and once again he was in front of the mirror. Again, he did not see his own reflection...but he did see her.

She was standing there, looking right at him from in the mirror.

He couldn't look away. He didn't want to. He also knew deep in his heart that this was a dream. It was the only way he could see her. The horrible reality was that she was dead. In his dreams, it was always like this...She always appeared to him in his dreams and he never wanted to wake up. Every time he woke up...she was gone.

"Staci..." he said, holding his hands out to her.

She smiled sadly at him. "Michael, please...you have to listen to me."

He took a step closer to the mirror, completely focused on only her. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, but you must listen!"

"Staci, I can't go on without you!"

"Michael, I'm not dead!"

He frowned, confused. He wondered if he had heard correctly or if it was more false hope from the dream. "What? Staci, I don't understand...Then, if you're still alive, come back to me."

She shook her head, frustrated, tears in her eyes. "I can't."

"Then, let me come to you."

She shook her head again and backed up a step. "You can't! Michael, you have to wake up."

"No! I don't want to. If I have to face a horde of those creatures just to see you, I will! I want to be with you."

"Then, you have to wake up...and find me!"

Hands suddenly grabbed her and pulled her deeper into the darkness that was behind her. She disappeared completely from view, but he could still hear her screams.

Lenox bolted upright in front of the fireplace, shouting out her name. The dream was gone. It was over...but something about it had felt different. As he became fully awake, he sat still and listened.

_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

It was still raining hard and it was dark outside. Looking at his wrist watch, Lenox saw that it was only a few minutes after three in the morning. He grabbed his gun and headed for the basement door. He opened it and flicked on the switch...but the lights below did not come on.

"Shit," he muttered, shaking his head.

In his bare feet, he went into the garage to grab the flashlight from the glove compartment of his car on the passenger side. Once he had it, he returned to the basement. With his flashlight on and his gun leading the way, he carefully made his way down the steps and into the darkness below. The air felt cold and damp on his skin. Goosebumps rose in his forearms. A drip from a leaky pipe above him dropped onto his bare back. He ignored it and pressed on.

It was easy to see that the basement was empty. There was a furnace in the corner and a set of stairs leading up to the cellar doors which opened to the outside of the house. There were two empty storage rooms...And there was the large mirror where the flashlight beam bounced off.

Lenox slowly approached it and frowned. He looked at it as if he expected something to come through, but he really didn't know what to expect. It all seemed surreal. Was this the focal point of all of his experiences? Is this where his strange sightings originated?

He stopped in front of the mirror...and there was his reflection. He stood there with no shirt and no shoes. No socks. He was wearing a pair of jeans. He had a flashlight in one hand and a gun in the other. His reflection was completely identical to himself.

He let out a deep breath.

"I must be losing my fucking mind," he said softly, shaking his head.

He stepped closer to the mirror and tapped the surface of it twice with his gun. He looked the mirror over one more time and shook his head again. Finally, he turned to go back upstairs but something suddenly caught his eye. In the upper left corner of the mirror, there was a tiny sliver of red. He shone the light on to it, but there was nothing there. When he aimed the flashlight away, the sliver of red became visible again.

He turned off the flashlight.

The sliver was still there. It reminded him of an ember floating up from a campfire. The only difference was that this sliver was stationary even if in the darkness it appeared as if it were floating.

He turned the flashlight beam back on.

The sliver of red vanished.

He turned it off.

The sliver of red reappeared.

He turned the flashlight back on and stared up at the upper corner of the mirror as if it were a puzzle to solve. There was no visible explanation for it. The dreams were only dreams. The sliver of red simply had to be a trick of the mirror. Some type of illusion. If that wasn't the case, then it was possible he was losing what was left of his sanity. He suddenly realized that he knew without a doubt what he had to do.

He had to put on a fresh pot of coffee.

_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

By the time it got to be a quarter to four, Lenox had freshened up the fire, got a fresh pot of coffee brewing and had taken a hot shower. When he was fully dressed, he poured himself a hot cup of coffee and took it with him to the living room. He added some wood to the fire and poked at the burning coals with the poker to spread them around the wood. Afterward, he moved to the large window and looked outside, watching the rain. Staci had always liked the rain.

He had nothing better to do or wanted to do so he continued to watch the rain and drink his coffee.

And he thought of Staci Cohen.

Because of her, he liked the rain, too.

He closed his eyes. His heart yearned for her. Without her, his life was empty. His life had no meaning. The only thing he really wanted to do was to hunt down and kill every one who was involved in the circumstances behind her murder. He already had taken the lives of the men who physically carried out the heinous crime, but he wanted the bastards who had planned it out. She had been used to set him up, but it had backfired. The plan hadn't worked because he hadn't taken the fall...Unfortunately, her life had ended because of it.

He wanted every one responsible to die, but her last words to him was still painfully fresh in his mind.

"Do-don't avenge me," she had pleaded, holding onto life for just a little longer. "Please, Michael...I...I just want you...to live...F-find someone to-to...love you...Let me go..."

He had held her broken body in his arms, looking into her eyes. "You're not going to die." He had swallowed hard but his throat was numb. "I can't let you go. I won't!"

"Please...Michael, please...promise me..." She had raised a bloody hand to touch his face, tears streaming down her face. "Live!"

He remembered struggling hard with his emotions. Rage. Deep sorrow. He nodded numbly. "I promise."

She had smiled her last smile for him. "I love...you so..." And then she had taken her last breath, eyes still open.

In her last words to him, she had wanted him to leave the world he knew and embrace a new way of life where there was peace. She wanted him to get away from the violence. She wanted him to release the anger he always carried and learn how to live.

He wanted to do that, too.

For her.

But he was still angry.

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

He looked out the window but was distracted by a reflection in it. Someone was moving toward him from behind. He decided to use his anger to strike out at the intruder. He half turned and raised his foot up. He kicked at the intruder and struck him in the stomach. The intruder doubled over and backed up a few steps but didn't fall over. Lenox turned to face him and halted at what he saw.

As in his dreams, there were three of them. The blackened creatures. The one he had kicked had already straightened, mouth open in a silent scream. Eyeless sockets were faced in his direction. Behind it, a second monster was coming out through the kitchen and was soon in front of the fireplace. The third one appeared in the kitchen doorway.

Lenox could feel the fear begin to take him. If he didn't do something soon, the creatures from his nightmares would be upon him. He thought of Staci and clung to her memory.

"No!" he shouted.

The fear was suddenly driven back. He pulled out his gun and leveled it at the closest monster. At point blank range, he fired off three rounds. It was overkill, but he wanted to make damned sure that when he put this creature down, it would stay down. The creatures head split apart, spraying thick black blood in a splatter pattern. It smelled of hot ash and sulfur. Lenox fought back the urge to gag as he watched the creature take three more steps toward him before it finally collapsed on the floor. But even on the floor with no head, it somehow managed to drag itself toward him a few more feet.

Lenox backed up into the foyer as he chose his second target. He emptied the weapon into the chest of one of the remaining creatures. When his gun clicked on empty, he saw that the creature he had struck several times was still moving toward him.

"Son-of-a-bitch!" he cursed.

He turned and headed away from them...but he didn't exit the house. It was his house. He had no intention of leaving but he would stay and defend his home.

He went through the hall and then the kitchen. He returned to the living room and went to the fireplace behind the creatures. He picked up the fire poke and stabbed it into the back of the head of the nearest creature. It shuddered and dropped to its knees. It tried to turn and as it did, Lenox lost his grip on the poker. The remaining creature was also turning to face him.

Lenox looked at the hideous creatures. He wanted to throw up. He didn't want these things to touch him. He didn't know what would happen to him if they did, but he didn't want to find out first hand either. It seemed to him that the best way to put them down was head shots. Two of them were on the floor, their bodies writhing but no longer moving toward him. Their skin also seemed to be flaking away as if they were logs in a fire turning to ash.

The last one was stumbling toward him. He bypassed the creature, staying out of its reach, and went into the garage. He hurried to his car and opened the drivers side door so he could pop open the trunk. He didn't have much, but all of his belongings were in the trunk and back seat of his car. His gun was empty but he always had a backup handy. By the time he was at the open trunk, the creature was entering into the garage.

Lenox pulled out a shotgun, slapped a couple of shells into it and raised it. Once his sights were right on the creatures face, he pulled the trigger. A few seconds later, the headless corpse dropped to the floor.

Lenox stared at it, horrified.

The body literally began to turn into black ash. He watched it dissolve and flake apart. The horrible stench of death and decay filled his nostrils, almost causing him to throw up. When the body was finally gone, the only trace left from it was a black impression on the floor where its body had been.

He reached into the trunk and grabbed more ammunition. He reloaded the shotgun and his hand gun, a Beretta 93R. He put some extra clips in his belt on his back and extra shells in his front pockets. He didn't know if there were any more of the creatures around but he was ready for them. He walked back into the house and stopped when he saw two more impressions on the living room floor. The fire poker he had used as a weapon was on the floor, broken in half. It was as if the middle of it had disintegrated along with the creature. The tip of it that had pushed through its head was blackened and brittle.

What were these creatures? Where the hell had they come from?

Lenox thought he knew the answer to that last question. It was the only thing that made sense. They had to have come through the mirror in the basement.

_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

His gun was holstered in a shoulder holster. The shotgun was in one hand and the flashlight was in the other. He headed for the basement door and saw that it was wide open. If he had any doubts about where they had come from before, he didn't have them now. The creatures had come from the basement. They had to have come through the mirror. He was determined to destroy it.

He made his way slowly down the stairs. Half way down, he stopped.

He heard voices.

"Ya should be more cooperative, luv," a man said in a thick, brisk accent. "Yer lack of trust has truly pissed off the wrong people. Now, yer pretty little ass belongs to us...At least, for the time being. And there isn't a bloody damned thing ye can do about it."

Someone else laughed, followed by the sound of something striking flesh. A woman cried out in pain.

That was enough for Lenox. He hurried down the stairs but he had a hard time believing what he was seeing. He came to a quick stop. There was light coming from the mirror. It was an orange, red and yellow light. It was also where the voices had come from.

"Don't ye get it, ye stupid little bitch?" the voice continued. "Can't ye see how serious this matter truly is? Are ye that daft? All yer silence does is earn ye a slow and painful death."

"Let the carbons take her!" exclaimed another male voice, followed by a cackle.

"Nay, Burl. To be quite honest...I think I'd like to take her meself...before her end." There was a pause. "Ooh...that got me a glare, it did. What else can I provoke from ye, I wonder."

There was another sound of something striking flesh. The woman cried out again but not as loud as before.

Lenox stopped in front of the mirror and found himself staring in astonishment. He couldn't even begin to understand how he was being a witness to what his eyes saw. He was looking into a basement almost identical to the one he was in but with several differences. There were two men in the room. A tall man and a short man who seemed to be shorter than he was because he was hunched down, laughing. In his hand was a long, hard cane. In between the men, a woman was hanging by her wrists from the beams above her. The ropes binding her were tight. Her clothes were torn, and her body was bloody and bruised. The short man behind her clearly enjoyed hitting her with the cane. Lenox assumed that he was the one called Burl. The taller one with the accent was obviously in charge.

But that didn't matter.

None of it did.

All that mattered to him was the woman. She looked just like Stack Cohen. Lenox couldn't look away from her.

The tall man stood directly in front of her, and he leaned menacingly closer. "What do ye say, luv? How 'bout the two of us have a little fun? I'll let ye die in peace when it's over." He grabbed her by the hair and gave her a rough shake. With his other hand, he visciously squeezed her right breast through the torn fabric of her clothing. "If you don't want it that way...why then...I'll have ye by force anyway and still kill ye slowly."

The woman looked at him...and then looked past him.

Lenox couldn't believe it. She was looking right at him. She was looking right into his eyes. He moved closer to the mirror.

The woman closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

"Is she dead?" Burl asked.

The taller man turned to look at the mirror, but all he saw was their own reflection.

"Is the bitch dead?" Burl asked again. He raised the cane to strike the woman again, as if to seek out his own answer.

Lenox shouted,"No!"

But they didn't hear him.

By reflex, Lenox raised his shotgun and swung it at the mirror with intentions of shattering it. To his astonishment, the shotgun passed through the mirror and slipped from his grasp. The momentum sent the shotgun forward until it struck the tall man on the side of the neck. Burl stopped what he was doing to stare in shock as his tall companion stumbled. The tall man held his hands out to balance himself against the wall.

"Ow!" he yelled in pain, rubbing the side of his neck. He turned to glare at Burl. "What the bloody hell did ye strike me for, ya twit?"

Burl held the cane in front of himself as if he could hide behind it. He shook his head. "Wasn't me!"

"Oh, is that so? If not ye, then what?"

The little guy pointed.

The tall man looked down at his feet where he finally saw the shotgun. Slowly, he turned to look at the mirror where he saw only their own reflections. But he knew.

Lenox knew as well. The mirror was somehow a doorway. With grim determination to save the woman, he withdrew his Beretta and stepped through it. He saw the astonished looks from the tall man and Burl, the dwarf. Lenox had no idea who they were, but he did know of their intentions for the defenseless woman.

He raised his weapon and fired.

The tall man was the first to fall to the floor with a hole through his head.

Burl tried to run away but Lenox put him down with a buullet.

From somewhere above, a loud angry shout sounded followed by a deep thud. Whatever it was had not sounded human and Lenox decided it was best not to wait around to find out what made it.

He reholstered the Beretta and reached up for the unconscious woman. Her wrists were bound tightly by rope hanging from a hook stuck in a beam. He managed to take her down and he carried her back through the doorway as he heard others approach. He placed her on her feet and supported her as he took out his gun, facing the mirror.

An old man in a black robe stopped at the mirror and glared intently at it, as if it insulted him. Behind him, a large green-skinned giant stood by with a sword in its hand. A very big sword. This beast looked nothing like Shrek.

Lenox held the woman and remained still.

The old man seemed to look right at them...but then he looked away. "Bah!" he cursed. "Cover it up! I must summon more carbons! Perhaps a creeper would do even better!"

The green giant raised his hands above the mirror and a taro rolled down it, blocking Lenox' view of the other side. The basement became dark again except for the flashlight, which he had dropped on the floor earlier. The beam shined directly onto the mirror and he found himself looking at his own reflection and the woman's.

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

He thought he should cover the mirror on his side, too. Before he did that he had to see to the woman's safety first. He reholstered his gun and dropped to his knees, holding her to him. He looked at her face...The dream came back to him. In the dream, Staci had told him that she wasn't dead. That he needed to find her.

He gently touched her face. "Did I find you?" he inquired softly. "...Or am I still dreaming?"

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked into his. She licked her dry lips. "Michael...?"

Lenox had no idea what to make of this. She looked like Staci, she sounded like Staci...and she called him by name.

"I'm...going to help you," he finally said. "You're safe now."

She tried to smile. "I know." Her wrists were still bound but she tried to reach up and touch his face. "I love you so..." She lost consciousness again.

Lenox couldn't believe what was happening. He didn't understand it, but he knew the woman was alive and he intended to keep her that way.

_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

The woman was unconscious on the floor on his sleeping bag in the living room. He had placed her near the fireplace to keep her warm, but away from the black impressions the creatures had left on the floor where they had fallen. Lenox assumed the creatures were known as carbons, at least he had heard the woman's captors refer to them as such. He had no idea what the hell a creeper was and never wanted to find out. They sounded like something downright nasty.

He wanted to tend to the woman but leaving the mirror as it was only invited trouble. He found some blankets and sheets in the trunk of his car. He covered her with a sheet and blanket. He took the remaining blanket downstairs into the basement with him.

The rain had actually stopped and the sun was coming out. Its rays came through the basement windows and gave him enough light to see by. He used a chair from the kitchen table to stand on and he nailed the blanket to the beam above the mirror. He had it spread out enough so that it covered the entire width of the mirror. The blanket touched the floor when he was done. He left the chair standing on part of the blanket just to be certain the mirror was covered.

It was temporary, he decided. He was going to have to find a better way to keep the mirror covered.

Lenox returned upstairs to the woman. She was watching him as he approached and she seemed relieved to see him. He knelt beside her.

"I should get you to a hospital," he said.

She reached for his hand and shook her head. "No. Please...let me stay. With you."

"You're hurt."

She hesitated. "The...the mirror..."

"I've covered it. Nothing will come through."

She nodded, grateful.

He paused. "Alright...I have to see how badly they hurt you."

She squeezed his hand and nodded again. It was a sign of trust. She trusted him to do what was necessary.

He took the blanket and sheet from her, trying not to let his emotions get the best of him. He kept trying to tell himself that it wasn't Staci Cohen.

Her captors had clearly worked her over. Her blouse was torn in several places and beneath the blouse was a light blue bra with lace. The blouse was also bloody, especially on her back and sides. He would have to remove it to see why. She wasn't wearing any shoes, but had on a light green skirt, which was also torn in places.

"Can you stand?" he asked her.

She nodded, hesitantly. "Uhm...can I lean on you?"

He nodded back. "Of course." Then, he helped her up. He removed her torn blouse and as she put her arms around his neck for support, he dropped her skirt to her ankles on the floor. He could feel her body trembling against him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded, putting her head on his shoulder. "I'm so weak...tired...It's okay, Michael. I trust you."

Lenox put his arms around her, but he wasn't sure why. To hold her up? To feel her against him? It simply felt so right, but he had to remind himself that this woman wasn't the Staci Cohen he had fallen in love with.

The woman had her head on his left shoulder. Her eyes were filled with tears as she closed them. She seemed to know what was going through his mind. Softly, she said into his ear, "I...can't imagine what you must be going through right now...I'm so sorry for the pain I'm causing you. Please...forgive me..."

Lenox held her for a moment. "There's nothing to forgive. Besides...this isn't about me. It's about you."

She pulled her head back to look into his eyes. "No, Michael. This is about you. I'm here because of you."

"You're telling me you're Staci Cohen." It wasn't a question.

She nodded.

"But...not the same Staci Cohen."

"It's complicated."

"Okay...Staci. I may not fully understand what's happening, but I do know that you need some medical attention. So let's concentrate on that before we get into the complications." He paused. "Okay?"

She nodded.

He helped her to sit on the sleeping bag so he could look her over. He clamped his jaw tight in anger when he saw the angry red welts on her back. There were several of them. Some of the welts from the cane striking her had broken the skin, causing her to bleed. There were welts on her sides and stomach. They were also on her shoulders, arms and thighs. Someone had used a knife on her. There was a cut on her left shoulder about four inches long. It wasn't deep but it was noticeable. The skin around her right eye was black and blue. The edges of the right side of her lip seemed swollen. Her wrists where she had been bound were black and blue.

He sat beside her, facing her. "Does anything feel broken?"

She shook her head.

"Did they...?" he trailed off.

She knew what he was asking and shook her head again. "No."

He nodded thoughtfully. "I'll draw you a bath. I have a med kit in the car with bandages. Can you walk?"

She nodded. "A little, but...I wouldn't mind if you...carried me?"

He got to his feet and picked her up. As she put her arms around his neck, he carried her upstairs to the master bedroom. In the full sized bathroom, he helped her sit on the porcelain toilet with the lid closed. He turned the water on in the bath tub to fill it as he plugged the drain.

"Warm?" he inquired. "Hot?"

"Hot," she responded.

"I don't have any soap to add to the water," he said apologetically. "I wasn't expecting a guest. I...just moved in last night and haven't shopped for the basics yet."

She couldn't help but smile. "The hot water will be fine, Michael. Can you help me in it now?"

He felt the temperature of the water. Satisfied with it, he helped Staci into it after the remainder of her clothes were removed. Once she was in the tub, he cleared his throat and headed for the door.

Staci almost panicked. "Where-where are you going?"

He turned to look at her from the doorway, very much aware of how naked she was. "To get that kit. I'm not leaving you...Staci. I'll be right back."

She nodded. "I'm sorry. It's just...I'm sorry."

It seemed to both of them there was much that needed to be said but the time wasn't right.

"It's okay," he told her. "I'll be right back. Just in time to turn off the water."

"Okay." She gave him a half smile. "Michael...thank you."

He was going to tell her it wasn't necessary to thank him. Instead, he said, "You're welcome." He went downstairs.

He retrieved the medical kit from his car in the garage. He went into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee for Staci and added cream. He took the coffee and the kit upstairs with him. He handed her the coffee mug and then opened up the kit.

From the kit, he gave her some extra strength tylenol. He used a cloth to help wash over her wounds as gently as he could. When she was out of the tub, he wrapped a blanket around her and bandaged the wound on her shoulder. He had brought the sleeping bag, sheet and blanket up for her to lay on in the master bedroom. Once she was covered with the sheet and blanket, she looked up at him with a tender smile.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"You're welcome," he responded.

She looked into his eyes. "Michael...you need to call Darren."

He hesitated. The Staci he had fallen in love with had always called his boss Todd. There was a lot of history there, but the wounds were still quite deep.

"I can't," he finally said.

"You can. You must. He can help you." She didn't break eye contact. "You know in your heart that they had nothing to do with what happened...to her."

He swallowed. "Yeah. I know."

"They were pawns as much as you were. As much as she was. Please...call them. Let them help you."

He let out a deep breath. Finally, he nodded slowly. "Yeah. Okay...I will."

"Thank you," she said softly. She closed her eyes and fell asleep, giving in to the exhaustion she felt.

He watched her for a moment. With a final resolve, he went downstairs into the living room to use his cell phone and place a call.

"Todd," he said when there was an answer, "I need some help."

There was a brief pause from the other end. "It's been two years, Michael. I had hoped you'd have made this call sooner rather than later. You know I'll do what I can to help."

Lenox told him everything. About the mirror, the creatures, the men and about the woman. He admitted how very closely she resembled Staci Cohen. How she looked and sounded like her. How she even had the same mannerisms. He left out the part where she was sound asleep naked under a sheet and blanket in his master bedroom. "As hard as this is to believe," he continued, "I need supplies. My house is empty. What she needs right now is medical help and clothes. I need some groceries. I'd go out myself but I'm not going to leave her alone. I also need wood and tools. I'd like to seal that damned mirror."

"Have you tried to break it?"

Lenox paused. The man had not questioned his story. "No. I mean...look. I went straight through the damned thing. I came back through it with a woman who was tortured. I'm not even sure if this thing can be broken."

"Well, don't try it. I'll get the supplies you need. We'll work it out."

"How soon can you get here?"

There was a pause. "Give me a couple of hours. In the meantime, I'll send you some help in case any more trouble show up. You just keep that girl safe."

"I'll keep her safe."

Lenox put his cell phone away and headed back upstairs. He went inside the master bedroom and sat on the floor beside Staci. He stayed with her, watching over her...until a few hours later he heard a helicopter fly over his house.

_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

"The goddamn fucking calvary has arrived," a James Bollinger declared as he entered into the house carrying two bags of groceries. "Yee-fucking-haw!"

Behind him were two others carrying supplies; a man who had once followed a promising career as a professional wrestler and a woman with long, Blondel hair and brown eyes. She carried medical supplies.

Lenox let them in. For years, they had been a part of his team. He had thought he would never see them again. He had mixed feelings about seeing them now. He led them into the living room.

"Where is she?" Erin Greye asked.

Lenox nodded his head toward the stairway. "Upstairs. Master bedroom."

She nodded and took the medical supplies up to the second floor.

"Hey," Bollinger said.

Lenox turned to look at him.

"Does she really look like Staci?"

Lenox ignored the question. "The kitchen is right through here, left of the fireplace."

Bollinger grinned and headed for the kitchen.

The ex-wrestler clapped Lenox on the shoulder. "Just so you know, man, we missed you."

"I appreciate that." He paused. "What else did you bring?"

Marc "Fury" Shiva responded after a brief pause as he regarded Lenox. "For the moment, just food and medical stuff. There's more in the chopper. I'll go out and get what's left. Ace and Birdman were trying to find a flat patch of land to set down on, but they may not have had any success in that. The Colonel will bring the bulk of the rest. He's getting a truck loaded with everything, and I mean a trailer load, man."

"What the hell is everything, Fury?"

"Everything you need. Knox, man...he wants to use your house as the new hardsite for a new war that's coming."

_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

The woman was laying on the sleeping bag in the master bedroom, covered with a sheet and blanket. Erin administered medical aid to her and helped to make her as comfortable as possible. After a few minutes, Lenox entered the room and sat on the floor next to Staci but opposite from Erin. He couldn't help but be concerned for the woman and he admitted if only to himself that he was deeply curious about her as well.

Who was this beautiful woman who looked like Staci Cohen? Where did she come from? How was it possible for him to go through a mirror as if it were a doorway and come back through with her?

He looked at Erin and realized that she was watching him. There was something about her he began to pick up on. "You know her." It wasn't a question.

Erin nodded. "Yes."

"You know about the mirror, too, don't you?"

"I know about mirrors. The one in your basement is the focal point, but if you know how, you can use other mirrors any where to travel through or to watch."

Something about that statement clicked in his mind. "If what you're saying is true..."

"It is," she assured him. "And you're not crazy. You have been watched through mirrors. By this Staci...and by others who want you dead."

He let out a sigh of frustration. "Erin, what the hell is going on?"

She opened her mouth to answer when there was a knock on the door. The door wasn't closed all the way so they could see Shiva standing outside the doorway. Lenox waved him in.

Shiva entered the room with a tray of breakfast. He placed it on the large windowsill. "I thought you guys might be hungry," he said, pouring coffee into three mugs from a carafe. "I whipped up some omelletes and toasted some english muffins."

Lenox took one of the offered mugs. "Thanks, Fury. It's much appreciated."

Shiva nodded once as he handed a mug to Erin. Erin took it, but her eyes never left Lenox. The three of them sat on the floor together and partook of breakfast as they looked after Staci.

"Where's Grunt?" Lenox asked softly, referring to Bollinger. He liked Bollinger as part of the team because the man knew what he was doing, but he had the mouth of a trucker and wasn't afraid to speak foul language no matter who was present. It was a vice Lenox despised.

Shiva took a sip of coffee. "He left with Ace and Birdman. They're getting more supplies."

"More supplies? If Todd is bringing furnishings, and you've brought food and medical supplies...what other supplies is there to get?"

Erin and Shiva exchanged knowing looks.

"Stop that. I know you're up to something so just come out and tell me." Something suddenly occurred to him. "Wait a minute. Earlier, you referred my home as a new hardsite. Are you telling me that my place here is going to require the services of Crazy Man?"

Shiva nodded. "Unfortunately, the truth of that is we're going to need him." He found the Crazy Man even more annoying than Lenox found Bollinger. "So which ever room he's in, I have to be in another room just so I'm not tempted to snap him like a twig."

Erin smiled. "Oh, he's family and you love him."

Shiva snorted.

"Are you guys going to tell me what this new war is all about?" Lenox interrupted. "This is my home. I was trying to live a life a part from..." He stopped. Then, he said, "It seems to me that you guys were already prepared for this. Like you were just waiting for my call to get things moving. From the time I called Todd and told him what had happened here, your response time was pretty damned quick."

"Come on, man. You know we like to be prepared for anything. We're just that good."

"Bullshit! What the hell are you prepared for this time, Fury?"

The room got quiet. Shiva and Erin exchanged another knowing look and that was starting to piss Lenox off. Lenox watched them and waited. He looked down at Staci to see if their conversation was disturbing her. When he was satisfied it wasn't, he returned his attention to his unexpected guests.

"I'm still waiting," he told them.

Finally, Shiva shrugged. "Well...it's kind of hard to explain."

Lenox looked from Erin to Shiva. "I don't think it's hard for you to explain. You know exactly what's going on."

He shook his head. "That's not true. Not everything."

"You know enough."

"Knox, what I know...you wouldn't believe."

Lenox indicated Staci with a wave of his hand. "How do you explain her?"

Shiva shrugged. "What's there to explain? She's a woman who needs our help."

"A woman who happens to look exactly like Staci Cohen."

"But she isn't Staci, Michael," Erin replied.

"No, she isn't," he agreed. "I get the strangest feeling that you two know who she is."

Once more, Shiva and Erin exchanged knowing looks.

"What you're doing right there is really getting annoying." He let out a sigh. "Who is she?"

"Knox, you're not going to believe any of it." Shiva shrugged helplessly. "Man, I'm still trying to work it all out in my head."

"Did Todd tell you why I called him?"

"No. He only told us you needed help."

"And you guys came. I'm grateful. But you know what's going on and I need to know." He looked at them. "Look, I stepped through a mirror to save her. I fought three zombie-like creatures. Anything you tell me can't be any more unbelieveable than that."

Erin gasped, her eyes wide. "You fought with...with carbons?"

Lenox turned to look at her. "Carbons? I've heard that name before."

She nodded once. "Yes. That's what they're called. Evil creatures. Horrible monsters. Michael, if they had touched you...you would have...If one of those vile creatures had touched you, it would have absorbed you and then become you."

Lenox gave that some thought. "Wow," he finally said. "I guess you're right. That is unbelieveable. You're telling me this thing would have become me?"

"A copy of you."

"And what would have happened to me?"

"You...would have ceased to exist. The carbon would have become a copy of you. It would look like you. In time, it would have obtained all of your memories and began to mimic you. But ultimately, it would do as its masters command."

Lenox looked at Staci.

Erin shook her head. "She is not a carbon. There's...another explanation for her."

He paused in thought. "So...someone controls these carbons."

She nodded. "Yes."

"Someone sent three carbons through the mirror to come after me."

Shiva shook his head in amazement. "What I want to know, Knox, is how the hell did you kill them?"

"Head shots mostly." He sighed. "Who sent them after me?"

"We don't know."

"What do you know?"

"The mirror you speak of. It's a doorway to another realm. Like a parallel universe."

Lenox nodded thoughtfully. "Like Star Trek's 'Mirror, Mirror.'"

Shiva nodded. "Yes."

"No," Erin said, shaking her head. "I mean, yes, it's a universe parallel to ours. But different. That's the part that is so hard to explain."

"The men who were..." Lenox glanced at Staci's sleeping form. "...torturing her looked odd."

"Odd?" Shiva leaned forward. "How?"

"Their clothing was different, for one thing. It was like something out of the Lord Of The Rings. The tall guy had a thin sword at his belt. The other guy...If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was some kind of dwarf."

Erin nodded. "Yes. That's different."

"But you said it's a parallel universe. Are you saying there's a parallel me on the other side?"

She shook her head. "No. You have no parallel. That's why you're able to pass through the mirror. It's also why...she was able to come back through with you."

Lenox looked at her as he realized the implications of what Erin had just told him. "This woman...Are you telling me that she is Staci's parallel? And because the Staci I was in love with was murdered...this woman was able to cross over through the mirror with me? Is that what you're saying?"

Erin swallowed nervously. She felt horrible that their conversation was bringing up painful memories. "Yes," she said softly.

"But this woman doesn't know me," he argued. "Yet when I first saw her, she was looking at me as if she did."

"She does know you, man," Shiva replied softly. "Believe it or not...She knows everything about you."

Lenox frowned. "How is that possible?"

Shiva was about to tell him.

Erin placed her hand on Shiva's arm. "I don't believe that's for you, Marc. You should let Staci tell him."

The name had come out. Lenox found it difficult to understand but this woman was Staci Cohen, yet not Staci Cohen. He watched her for a moment, lying there. She was vulnerable. But she was safe. He wasn't about to let anyone or anything harm her in any way.

However, he had many questions.

"Has either one of you been to the other side? This parallel universe?" He wanted to know.

Shiva shook his head. "No."

Lenox looked at Erin.

She hesitated and avoided eye contact. "No...but I came very close to it once."

"And?" Lenox prompted.

She turned her head away. "I'd rather not say."

Something had happened. Something bad. He decided not to press the issue. "What about parallels? Do either of you know if yours exist?"

Shiva nodded. "Yep. In fact, I'm betting that my parallel is right on the other side of the mirror, setting up a base like we are here."

Lenox frowned. "The last I saw before the mirror was covered from the other side was some kind of green giant and an old man in a robe."

"Those two will be taken care of. One way or the other. Trust me, man. My parallel doesn't hold anything back. He'll take on wizards and carbons any time."

"Wizards?" He paused. "What about you, Fury? Would you take them on?"

He shrugged. "Sure. They're no different than terrorists."

"So all wizards are bad?"

Erin shook her head. "No. Some are good. Darren, for instance."

Lenox paused. "Darren?"

"Todd's parallel is a wizard."

"I should have known."

Shiva let out a chuckle. "We all should have, man. All those times that he 'practiced speeches' in the mirror? No way. He was carrying on a conversation with his other self."

"You can do that?"

"Well, they can. One of them is a wizard, after all. There are some things you can do and then...there are some things you have to find a way to do. Nothing is ever easy, but it can be done. Wizards have their ways."

Lenox rose to his feet and moved to the window to look out. "So...there's a real parallel universe that actually exists and a new war you've mentioned before. Is that where this new war is coming from?"

"There are forces on the other side that want to conquer this side," Erin explained to him. "The problem is, if they succeed...they'll destroy both sides. What they've done is they've opened up cracks in the barrier that separates both universes. The more cracks they manage to create, the more the barrier weakens. If they're not stopped, their side and ours begin to contaminate each others and this will ultimately cause chaos that will eventually lead to our destruction."

"You're serious about this, aren't you?"

"I've witnessed some of it, Michael, and apparently, so have you. It's real."

Shiva glanced up at Lenox. "Yeah, man. You said earlier you wouldn't find anything we said hard to believe because of what you've already experienced."

Lenox nodded. "Yes...but...it's incredible. This sounds like a work of fantasy or science fiction."

Erin also looked up at him. "Maybe this other universe is inspiration for it."

He turned his head. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe the parallel universe is where a lot of our fantasy and science fiction books come from. Maybe the authors are inspired by it. It could be that the authors of such novels may actually know about the parallel universe and have taken advantage of it by writing novels."

"But how the hell are these forces from the other side making war with us?" Lenox demanded. "And why do they want to make war with us?"

Shiva spoke up. "They send carbons through to control people in our universe. Hell, they've been doing it for years, man. Some of the missions we did for our own country became about stopping these things but at the time, we didn't know that some of the enemy we were fighting were actually carbons. We thought they were just terrorists and we were doing our bit to rid the world of them. But some of those terrorists actually came from the other side." He shrugged his shoulders. "So in a sense, I guess you could say it's not a new war at all. It's the same war we've always been fighting...but now we know about it. At least, we know more now than we did before. We just don't know who the key players are on the other side."

Lenox let out a sigh. "What the hell are we supposed to do about this? Are we expected to find these things as they come through and stop them?"

Erin nodded. "Yes, if we want to save our world. Our goal for right now though is to secure the house, here on this side as well as the other side. This is the only place where it is easier to pass through the doorway. It's the focal point between both parallel universes. And you, Michael, can pass through it without a hitch."

"Unless the other side is covered," Shiva pointed out.

Lenox nodded. "It's covered. I saw them drop something over it before I saw my reflection."

Shiva grinned. "Don't worry about that. I'm sure that your house on the other side has been taken over by the good guys by now. When the Colonel gets here, we'll know for certain."

_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______  
_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

It was only a two story house on a hill overlooking a lake where Lenox was learning about the new war, but not on the other side of the barrier. Down in the basement on the other side of the mirror was a different reality. It wasn't a house on a hill. It was a castle. An old castle that was mostly in ruins, but once upon a time, it had been a great castle.

An evil wizard, an orc and several goblins thought they could keep the castle for their masters and use it for their evil purposes. They were wrong.

Erin Greye and Marc Shiva stood at the entrance of the old castle, calling for the attention of their hated enemy. Shiva's broadsword was out in front of him with its tip into the ground. He leaned on it casually as if he were using it for a cane. Beside him, Erin lowered her hood and looked up with indifference at the wizard on the wall above them.

"You are a fool, cleric!" the wizard shouted down to them. "To think that you and your oafish warrior could stand against me is utter madness! Nevertheless, I am delighted by your arrival, for the warrior will die and I shall take my time as I strip you naked before me! Before this night is over, cleric, you will be mine!"

"That will be an accomplishment," Erin replied, not bothered by his threats, "you will never reach for you will have an arrow pierced through your throat, wizard...before you can even think of a clever response."

Shiva raised a hand up as if he were bored.

Two arrows came out of seemingly nowhere on a direct course for the evil wizard. The wizard saw them coming and laughed. He raised a hand of his own and the arrows were incinerated into dust.

The wizard cackled with manic delight. "Is that truly the best you can do, little girl? Very well! Open the gate!" he shouted to his minions. "Kill the warrior! Take the woman but keep her alive! We shall have her for our entertainment!" He laughed some more as he began to use his magic to trace where the arrows had come from.

Shiva shook his head. To Erin, he said, "A little over dramatic, isn't he?"

She kept her eyes focused on the wizard above them as she responded. "Aren't they always? And why do they always want to tie me up and use me like a whore?"

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

"Oh, Marc...you always know the right things to say to me, don't you?"

He just grinned.

As the large doors began to open, she couldn't help tease him some more. "I suppose that means you want to tie me up."

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, Erin. I don't need any rope to bind you when I can pin you to the ground myself."

"You pig!"

With the doors open, a large orc strolled out, followed by six goblins.

"Hmph," Shiva said with disgust, watching the orc. "And he had the audacity to call me 'oafish'."

Erin remained perfectly still, waiting. Beside her, Shiva also kept still. He was, however, grinning with anticipation.

Above them, the wizard discovered where the arrows had come from and prepared to fire a couple of fireballs. He just managed to form one when something stuck into his throat. He gurgled, choking on his own blood. His eyes wide in shock, he let go of the fireball and reached for his throat.

An arrow was sticking through it.

As he realized that a type of magic had been used on it to make the arrow invisible to him, he fell and died on top of the wall. His fireball struck one of the goblins below and incinerated it.

The orc had no idea what had befallen his fearless leader as he raised his sword and approached Shiva. Four goblin moved behind the orc and headed right for Erin. Shiva knew she could handle herself in a fight and had to concentrate on the orc before he could help her. Otherwise, the enemy would win, wizard or no wizard. To win a battle, one had to use wisdom. It was unwise to turn away from an orc, even if to offer someone else assistance.

Shiva waited until the orc was almost upon him. Then, his broadsword came up swinging, clashing against the orc's sword.

As the warrior fought, Erin had her own fight forced upon her. She backed up as she took out her short sword. The foul goblins had her surrounded and she knew they could take her easily. She wasn't much of a fighter. She was only there to draw them out.

"Come on," she said softly through clenched teethe, "what's taking do long?"

There was a fifth goblin who had taken its time to move around Shiva and Erin in order to get behind them. It cackled in manic glee and then forced itself to be silent, a task very hard for it to perform. It held a dagger in its hand. Slowly, it moved toward Shiva while the warrior battled against the formidable orc. It fully intended to stab him in the back.

It cackled again.

Then, it clamped a hand over its mouth, cursing itself.

And out of nowhere, someone tapped on its shoulder.

Puzzled, it stopped and turned around. It found itself looking at someone's flat stomach. It raised its head to look up.

A tall man with dreadlocks grinned down at him. "Hi there."

The startled goblin backed up a step and tried to strike out at the man with his dagger. The man easily blocked the blow as he swung his sword. The goblins head fell to the ground, followed by its lifeless body.

The man kicked the head away from himself in disgust. "Goblins. Why did it have to be goblins?"

"Rayce!" Erin screamed, trying to keep the goblins at bay.

Rayce twirled his sword in the air and came after the goblins harassing Erin. Two of them suddenly fell with arrows sticking out of their heads. That left Rayce to fight with the remaining two. He kept them from getting to Erin as he placed himself between them, but he hoped to kill them himself. After all, he really did hate goblins. They were nasty and smelled bad. They were disgusting. He fought them single-handedly and thought he was doing considerably well. He raised his sword, prepared to strike one of them down in victory.

Thunk!

An arrow stuck into his target's eye, causing it to do a parodic dance until it fell down dead. Enraged, Rayce prepared to run his sword through the remaining goblin.

Another arrow plunged into its chest.

"Oh, come on!" Rayce protested.

A second arrow stuck into the goblins mouth. It gurgled and fell.

Rayce turned to face the woods. "Vogel! LeBeau! I'm gonna have your bloody hides for this!"

Something rolled on the ground and stopped at his feet. He looked down to see the orc's ugly head. Its lifeless eyes stared up at him accusingly.

"A present," Shiva said with a grin. "From one warrior to another. Maybe next time, you'll kill more than one."

Rayce snorted. "Don't get so cocky, big man. You only killed one, too."

"Yes...but mine was bigger."

"Would you two please stop your bickering?" Erin demanded as two men with bows and arrows came out of the woods. "We've got to secure and hold the portal until Darren arrives with reinforcements."

Rayce snapped his fingers at the new arrivals. "You two are so lucky. I'd like to snap your necks right now but since Darren likes you, I'll let you live."

Kevin Vogel and Keith LeBeau looked at each other. Then, they burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Rayce demanded.

"We'd hit ye before ye got too close," LeBeau told him.

Vogel nodded in agreement. "That's true. You'd be a mile out and we'd see you coming."

LeBeau shook his head. "No, we wouldn't. Ye mean we'd smell him comin' from a mile away. Then, we'd put an arrow between his beady little eyes."

They laughed.

"Hey!" Rayce protested. "My eyes aren't beady! They're not little either! You mutton heads need to shut your mouths!"

Shiva placed himself between them. To LeBeau and Vogel, he said, "Scout the area and be wary of anyone who dares approach. Do not engage with anyone unless it is unavoidable. If you see anyone and manage to avoid a confrontation, come back at once and report."

The two men nodded and headed back into the woods. After they were gone, Rayce had to say what was on his mind. "I don't really smell bad, do I? I bathe once and a while."

Shiva and Erin looked at him.

"What? I'm a very busy man."

"Remind me again why you are here..." Shiva said suddenly, glaring at Rayce. His hand tightened on the handle of his sword.

Rayce sighed. "Hey, I'm on your side, bro. Take it easy. Chill out. You know what your problem is? I think you just need a massive ole' hug." He spread his arms wide. "Come on over here, big man, and get yourself some."

Shiva narrowed his eyes. "All I want...is your head!"

Rayce stared at him. Finally, he said, "Hmph. Well, you can't have it, bro. My head already happens to be taken. By me. And when I'm done with it...hell, I'm sure not giving it to you."

Shiva's grip on his sword tightened.

Erin placed a hand on his arm. "Marc, you know that Darren has placed a personal interest in Rayce. He won't be happy with you if you kill him."

"You mean 'try to kill him'," Rayce interjected. "That big guy has nothing on me."

Shiva ignored Rayce. He turned to look at Erin. "You know what he is," he growled angrily. "You know what he did."

She nodded. "Darren has offered him a second chance and you know he's helped us this far. You need to give him a chance, too."

Shiva shook his head. "He has no chance with me, Erin. But I will honor Darren's wishes by not removing the man's head from his shoulder." He turned to glare at Rayce. "At least, for the moment."

"Gee," Rayce replied, "don't do me no favors."

Shiva grunted. "Come on. Let's get inside and check the grounds. There may be more goblins inside."

Rayce flexed his muscles. "Great. 'Cause now I'm really in the mood to beat the shit out of something and since I hate goblins, they'll just have to do!" He brushed past Shiva with his sword at the ready.

Shiva shook his head and followed Rayce onto the castle grounds. Erin trailed behind them, praying for Shiva and Rayce to overcome their differences once and for all. Unfortunately, she knew that a miracle was the only hope for them. As she followed them, her mind began to wander onto her own weakness. That of Michael Lenox, whom she knew through her own parallel and from the times when she had been able to see him through mirrors. She wasn't certain how it happened, but she had fallen in love with him.

They had never met personally. They had never spoken. But she felt as if she knew him. Unfortunately, there was Staci, who was on the other side with him at that very moment. She was not the same Staci he had once known, but in some ways she was. He could very well fall in love with her all over again.

Erin sighed. The others had gone ahead, looking for any sign of the enemy but finding none. She followed a set of stairs that led up to the top of the wall. She found the body of the wizard laying at the top where he had fallen. Am arrow stuck grotesquely from his throat. As Erin looked, she noticed a beautiful gem on a necklace around his neck. There was no blood on it so she took a hold of it and pulled on it. The necklace broke and she held the gem in her hand, staring at it in awe.

It was beautiful. It made her smile.

"Erin!"

She turned her head to look down the stairs, assuming it was Shiva who had called to her. He wasn't there. She looked across the wall and saw a man in the open doorway of one of the towers. Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't believe her eyes. The man was Lenox. He beckoned to her.

Without hesitation, she hurried her steps across the wall and came to the towers open doorway. He had ducked back inside so she had to go in to see him. As she did, she saw that he was moving up the stairs above her.

"Michael...?" she called to him.

"Shh," he whispered to her. Then, he beckoned for her to follow.

She went up the steps, almost overcome with joy at finally seeing him alive and whole. Without mirrors. She wanted desperately to fall into his arms and make passionate love to him. At the top of the stairs was a room. He opened the door and waited for her in the doorway.

Almost breathless with anticipation, she found herself stopping in front of him. She was suddenly afraid to move. She tilted her head back and looked up into his gorgeous blue eyes. Almost hypnotized.

He looked at her and hesitated. "Erin...I'm so sorry."

Her heart almost broke. "Oh, no. Please...you have nothing to be sorry for."

"But I do..." He hesitated again. "You know we're at war and sometimes we have to do things that must be done."

She nodded. "Yes. I-I know this is true."

"I have to be with Staci. It must be this way if we have any hope of winning. But..." He put his hands on her shoulders. "You have to know. Even though destiny is forcing me to choose Staci...I'd rather be with you."

She swallowed. "Michael, wh-what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, Erin...I love you."

She gasped. "Oh, Michael, I love you, too."

He shook his head. "But we can't let anyone know. If I come through the portal to this side...we can never let anyone know of our true love."

She nodded. "Of course." Something he said registered. "You...you're not really here."

He smiled. "The gem you found. I have one like it. It enables us to meet like this...It's magic. And because I am so close on the other side of the barrier, it is strong enough to bring us together. Do not lose this gem. You must keep it on you at all times."

Realizing she still held the necklace in her hand, she looked down at it. She frowned. "I broke the necklace to take it from the wizard."

"It's not broken," he assured her. "Put it on."

She reached up and put the necklace around her neck. To her surprise, it latched itself on and she placed the gem on her chest. She smiled. "It is beautiful."

"And so are you." He smiled. "I can spare a little time for you. Can you wear the necklace for me?"

She smiled up at him. "I am wearing the necklace, silly man."

He gestured for her to go into the room. "No, no, Erin. I mean can you wear it for me and nothing else?"

Smiling mischievously, Erin rushed into the room as he followed her. As he closed the door, Erin was wasting no time in removing her clothing. When she was finally naked, she turned to him and waited for his pleasure.

"Do you like what you see, my lord?" she asked nervously. She had no idea what had come over her but she didn't want to stop whatever it was that was happening.

"Indeed I do," he said to her. "Step closer to me, my love."

She did.

He grabbed her by the wrists and shoved her against the wall. With ease, he kept her hands above her head by holding her there. She didn't make any move to resist. She gasped with pleasure at being manhandled like that. She wanted more.

With one hand, he held her hands by the wrists above her head. His other hand traced along her face where she tried to kiss it. His hand continued down her chest, then tracing the curves of her naked breasts.

He smiled. "You want me to take you, don't you?"

She swallowed. "Oh, please...I have never wanted anything more in my life than this."

"What would you like me to do to you, Erin?"

"I want you to cum inside me...please. I want you so badly."

He paused. "I'm sorry that my destiny is for Staci."

"But if we can have these moments...and no one knows...I can do that! Please, Michael. Take me. My body is yours! Do with it as you will and then return to Staci." She looked into his eyes. "Just...just come back to me whenever you can."

He kissed her on the lips. "I will, my love."

Without warning, he grabbed her and tossed her into the center of the room. She gasped and fell backward. She landed on a soft bed and rose herself up on her elbows. Astonished and pleased, she watched as Lenox removed his clothes. Her eyes widened at the size of his erection and wondered where he was going to put it first. In her mouth or in her most private sex.

As if he knew what she was thinking, he said, "I could also thrust it deep into your ass, my love, and make you scream like you've never screamed before."

She blushed.

Then, he was on her. He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back into the pillow as he placed himself between her legs. Before she could even think about what was happening, he penetrated his erection deep into her and began to thrust hard. She gasped, her eyes widening. She couldn't believe this was happening. She could feel him inside her and it made her lips part as she tried to catch her breath. She closed her eyes and let him ravish her. They moved together, and then they exploded their passion together. She felt him cum inside her and it made her cry out in ecstasy. She lay there panting, with her eyes closed, trying to catch her breath.

"Oh, Michael..." she said.

But when she opened her eyes, he was gone.

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_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

The day was almost over. Todd Fuller had arrived with a trailer loaded with furniture and other supplies. The team had reassembled at Lenox' new home and helped bring in the furniture. When the master bedroom had been set up, Staci had been placed into the bed. Erin remained with her in case the she needed to be there while the others continued to set up the house.

They all worked well together. It was as Lenox remembered it. LeBeau and Vogel were insulting each other as they worked, which had always been the case between them. Their helicopter was in a small clearing not too far from the house and close to the lake. William "Crazy Man" Fronk was setting up his war room in the basement next to the mirror. Shiva and Bollinger were helping to unload the trailer.

As night fell, Erin found herself in the kitchen cooking supper, but Bollinger was lending a helping hand. As the others gathered at the table, Lenox headed for the stairs. Fuller met him there.

"How much have they told you?" Fuller asked him, getting to the point. Throughout all the unpacking, he hadn't had the time to speak with Lenox about the new war.

Lenox shrugged. "Not enough. I still have many questions."

"I thought you might."

"How about enough for now? I'm sure there will be plenty of time to discuss it tomorrow. Right now, I'm exhausted and I just want to check on..." He stopped.

Fuller watched him, knowing what he must be going through. "Staci. Her name is Staci, Michael. You can call her by her name, you know. It's quite natural, I assure you."

Lenox shook his head. "I'm not sure any of this is natural."

"What do you want to do about it?"

"What the hell am I supposed to do about it? Fury and Erin have told me a lot, but they're still keeping something from me. So are you."

"That may be, but I assure you, it's for a good reason."

"What reason might that be?"

Fuller regarded him. "You have to be ready to hear it."

Lenox paused in thought on the bottom stairs. "Just tell me. The short version. Sum it up for me in a few brief words."

Fuller took a deep breath. "All right," he said. "This place that we are in right now sits at a cross roads to another parallel universe. This much you have already been told. The mirror below is a powerful conduit, which can open a portal between both universes. The truth is simple. Every single mirror on the face of the planet can be a portal if you know how to open it, but only this mirror can be used to control both universes. Ours and theirs. We are here to guard it. That is what we must do. We have to protect it at all costs. That is our primary objective."

"What about the other mirrors? If something gets through, what then?"

"That becomes your objective. You must hunt whatever comes through and kill it."

"Why me?"

Fuller paused, considering his answer carefully. "Many of us have parallels on the other side, Michael. Staci does not because...because our Staci was killed through an act of betrayal. What you don't know is that this Staci who lies in your bed was also to be murdered by a betrayal. She was rescued in time. Rescued by a fluke named Rayce, who was at the wrong place at the right time. What I'm trying to tell you is that she can pass through this doorway with relative ease, but it would be almost impossible for her to use any other mirror as a portal. You, on the other hand, can pass through any mirror if you simply put your mind to it."

Lenox frowned. He didn't try to hide his doubt. "How is that even possible?"

"Because you are somehow connected to these portals."

"What do you mean?"

"Michael, you were born here in this house. In fact, you were born right in the doorway of the portal down in your basement."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Fuller closed his eyes. "I know this is a lot to take in, Michael, but you must understand. Your father was from this side. Your mother was from the other side. There is much detail to the circumstances of their lives, but they were deeply in love and yet there were forces that fought to keep them apart. There was a fierce battle that eventually took their lives...but not before you were born. Because of where you were at your birth, you became the only one. You have no parallel at all so you are uniquely different from all of the rest. This enables you to come and go to both universes as free as you like."

Lenox let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard."

"But it's all true."

Slowly, he nodded his head. "Yeah. I believe it. Throughout all my life, I've had some strange experiences with mirrors that I've never fully understood. It's all starting to make sense to me." He paused. "Look. I'm glad you've all come to help. And I've never counted any of you as responsible for betraying me and Staci, but..." He trailed off.

Fuller nodded solemnly. "I understand. We all understand how you must feel."

"Someone betrayed us..."

"But we don't know who it was. My suspicions, however, has always led me to believe it was a carbon."

Lenox sighed. "A carbon. If that's true, the one's responsible for Staci's murder came from the other side." He straightened. "If that's true, I intend to find out who was responsible and kill them."

Fuller nodded. "But you won't be seeking them out alone. We're here to help you, Michael. Now...go check in on Staci and make sure she's alright. I'll have Erin bring up dinner for both of you."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

Lenox headed upstairs and Fuller went back into the living room. He had passed a man sitting on the floor with his back to the wall and he didn't even notice him. The man was Bollinger and he had heard the entire conversation. He smiled to himself, leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He chuckled softly to himself. Finally, he opened his eyes and they were completely black.

"Oh, my my," he said softly. "A betrayer walks among us. I wonder who it could be."

His eyes returned to normal as he got to his feet. With a smile on his face and a song in his black heart, Bollinger joined the others at the dinner table as he envisioned ripping out their hearts and listening to their screams. It was such a delightful thought. And it was the thought, after all, that really counted.

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End file.
